Shadow City

by Francesca Flores

  It would be so easy. As easy as it had always been to want to trust him. As easily as he convinced himself he wanted the best for her.

  He’d bombed the Stacks and still believed he was the best person to rule. He’d poisoned her best friend and still thought she’d fall in line next to him.

  Beneath it all, she knew the real meaning of his words: You below me, once more.

  “This is better for both of us, don’t you think?” he asked. “All we have to do is what we already do best. Our jobs.”

  The only sound in the room was the ticking clock in the office nearby as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. When a whole minute passed, she turned to face Kohl and took his hands in hers.

  “Give me something real, Kohl,” she said.

  She tilted her head downward as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead. Johana’s small, limp hand caught her eye.

  “What is the plan?” she asked. “Bautix has almost taken the Tower.”

  “We need to rout out Mariya Okubo and her allies before I can look for Bautix in the Tower.” He lifted a hand to rest on the side of her face. “I know what you can do. The Jackals were able to get in a shipment of weapons today. Guns, bombs, knives. You, Arman, and the grunts from Thunder can help move them from the pickup location to Bautix’s men stationed near the Tower. Once he has the weapons, he’ll have everything he needs to finish the takeover, and then we can step in.”

  Aina’s thoughts raced, but she nodded once. “I’ll do it. Will you be there too?”

  “I’ll be there later,” he said with a small smile. “I have to take care of some things to prepare for the new world ahead of us.”

  She scanned his face quickly, then turned away. “Then I’ll see you at the end of this.” If she could use this opportunity of bringing weapons to the Tower to sneak in, take some of those weapons for herself, and find Bautix … she could still end this.

  She couldn’t cut off her shadow, all the dark things that made her who she was, and she didn’t want to. She’d embrace it and use it, no matter how weak it made her look. Kohl had always expected her to come back to him in the end, either to fight back and seek revenge or to join him in controlling the country. Because that was what he would do, and he only saw the parts of her that were similar to him.

  She drew in a small breath, steeling herself for what she had to say next.

  “Thank you for giving me another chance, Kohl. This is where I belong.”

  He held out a hand to help her stand, and by the relieved breath he exhaled and the hope in his eyes, she could tell he believed her.

  36

  Once Kohl left, Aina stepped outside to meet with Kraz and the three other members of the Thunder tradehouse. Two of them smirked at each other, as if proud of themselves for having taken the Dom. Their young recruit still looked on the verge of tears. Aina kept her expression neutral, not wanting to give anything away. Whatever information she could get out of Kraz would be useful, so she couldn’t have him doubting her before then.

  “We’re going to the Tower to meet with Bautix and help—”

  Kraz pulled out a knife and placed it at her throat so quickly, she barely had time to blink. Trying hard not to gulp or step back, Aina slid her eyes up to meet his.

  “We know the plan, Solís. Keep your mouth shut and follow me.”

  She nodded and gave a conciliatory smile. One of his employees grunted at her and held out a hand. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he pointed at the scythes strapped to her thighs, and she froze.

  “Let her keep them,” Kraz said, shaking his head. “The Blood King has put her in her place; she won’t defy him now. And she’ll need her weapons anyway once we’re at the Tower.”

  Trying not to show her relief, Aina stepped in place behind Kraz. His three grunts surrounded her as they walked, like she was a dangerous animal that needed to be kept in a pen.

  Good, she thought. They should be scared of me.

  A moment later, they left the Dom and moved through the Stacks, steadily climbing the hill toward the rest of the city. The rain had mostly stopped, through a few errant drops still landed on her face as they proceeded. It was that thin time of night between full darkness and dawn, and if she looked to the right, she could see the sky lightening a little on the horizon. But even in this deep hour, the streets were still crowded. They passed near the Center and saw more fires, people running from them with their belongings, stores being broken into and raided, fights breaking out in the middle of the street.

  Yet no matter where they went, people scattered when they approached, as if sensing they weren’t to be challenged.

  Aina’s thoughts raced the whole way to the warehouse district, her nerves on edge with the chaos in the city. Where had Kohl gone? He’d said he still had work to do. What kind of work could he be doing in the city? It was already a mess, filled with the kind of chaos Kohl loved best. The Tower was taken, the Inosen were being routed out of their homes and killed.…

  At least, the ones inside the city were. She slowed her pace a little, a new thought prickling at the corner of her mind, but then one of the Thunder grunts shoved her forward to keep moving.

  Fighting the urge to punch him in the throat, Aina kept thinking. Kerys had said nowhere in the city would be safe for the Inosen, so all of the ones she’d left near the mines had to be safe. Ryuu had gone to make sure that they were.

  But all of Bautix’s employees worked in duplicity. What if Kerys had lied, like Kohl had?

  Or maybe … the thought hit her fast like lightning, and she raced to grasp on to it. Despite how terrible Kerys was, Aina had believed her when she said she didn’t want her daughter anywhere that she could be hurt. But would Bautix abide by that desire, even if he cared for Kerys?

  No, she answered her own question instantly. He would destroy any of the Inosen’s hiding places. They were an opposition to his rule, and he would get rid of them even if he had to lie to Kerys to do it.

  “He knows,” Aina whispered.

  The churning Minos River could be heard around the edge of the nearest building. They were headed toward the outskirts of Kosín, presumably to make their way up to the Tower from the side or from behind, and enter discreetly to help take out the remaining Diamond Guards trying to hold the place.

  Bautix knew, and Kohl surely knew, where most of the Inosen were now. And if Mariya had escaped, where else would be safest for her but somewhere provided for by Ryuu and outside the city instead of within its borders? Mariya likely knew of the location of that safe house after last month when Ryuu had explained to her his parents’ involvement in protecting the Inosen. Kohl would destroy anyone who got in his way; he needed to get rid of Mariya, and the Inosen wouldn’t stand for someone like him to rule. Before he could face Bautix, he’d want to get rid of these remaining obstacles.

  The smuggler’s words before she’d killed him came back to her now: The weapons are led through the mine tunnels. For all she knew, Bautix had even spread the rumors that the safe house at the mines was compromised, like Lill had believed for so long, so the Inosen would leave and he could sneak in the weapons however he pleased. And then he drove them back in after the bombing of all the safe houses in the city … so now they were all in one place, easy to get to, and easy to kill. All Kohl had to do was convince the Jackals they were headed to the mines on Bautix’s orders, and he’d have plenty of men to help him take out the Inosen.

  Panic rose through her, sharp and tasting like rust on her tongue. Forget the Tower. She had to get to the mines now.

  She took a quick inventory of her weapons in her mind, recalling where each one was. As they crossed the bridge, she moved.

  In one swift motion, she took the scythes strapped to her thighs and slashed them through the throats of the grunt to her right and the one behind her.

  The click of a gun. Arman Kraz faced her.

  She dodged the first shot, rolling across the bridge as the bullet pinge
d off one of the handrails. Almost slipping off the edge, she caught herself on the handrail. The wind swept past, lifting the stench of the river toward her where she hung.

  As he turned toward her again, she lunged forward, feinting with a strike to the right and then cutting him through the left side. He inhaled sharply when she drew his blood, but recovered faster than she expected.

  His other hand not holding the gun flicked a knife out from his sleeve and she barely missed a slash at her chest. She stumbled slightly while getting away from it, then ducked around him. Wrapping one arm around his neck, she used her other hand to disarm him. His gun skidded across the bridge and fell into the churning currents of the river. The young boy from Thunder watched their fight, rapt with attention as Arman threw Aina off him.

  He shoved her to the ground and drew another knife. Its blade flashed in the moonlight. She stared up at him, etching his face into her memory: the face of someone who’d always thought Kohl was the better choice of leader.

  “Maybe Kohl didn’t give me the order to kill you,” Arman said, leaning over her so the tip of his knife was half a foot from her face. “But he’ll appreciate not having you around anymore. You are nothing, Solís. He told you whatever he had to, to get you to keep following him like a chained dog, but you’re just—”

  She grabbed the hand with his knife and pulled him forward. His eyes widened, and he aimed the other knife at her face. But before it could reach her, she twisted his wrist so the knife fell into her hands, and she swept it across his neck. As he fell toward her, his blood coating her hands, she grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him off the bridge. His body hit the water with a loud smacking sound, and a second later, disappeared.

  A surge of triumph flashed through her, but it vanished just as quickly. She might have won this fight, but her night was far from over.

  The boy from Thunder held his arms over his face as if that would protect him from her next attack. He’d completely frozen on the bridge while she fought his boss. When she approached him and her shadow fell over him, he glanced up through the feeble shield of his arms.

  “Did you have fun killing my employees back there?” she asked.

  “I didn’t kill them, I swear. They made me bring the bodies to the hall, but that’s all I—”

  “Stop talking.” His voice cut off immediately. “Go to the Dom. Bury them, then get some sleep. If you’re going to work for me, I can’t have you crying every time the job gets hard.” His hands fell away from his face then and he looked up at her in confusion. “If I survive the rest of this, I’ll meet you there.”

  The wind swept across the bridge, drying the blood specks and sweat on her face as the boy took off back toward the Dom. After a quick search of the dead’s belongings, she pocketed a pistol and a grenade, then ran.

  Dawn had broken, the sky a pale blue in the east. Kohl had already been headed to the mines when she left the Dom, she was sure of it now. His and Bautix’s fight for control would tear Kosín apart if she didn’t stop it.

  Teo’s words came back to her: The city needs you.

  She ran faster, keeping her breaths measured, her strides long. As if she had some map of the city in her head, of where to run to avoid the most chaos, she ran past fires, leapt over broken glass on the ground, climbed a fire escape and ran across it to the next building to avoid a fight in the side street below. Smoke shrouded the moons, so the only light was the flickering orange of flames coming from every corner and the hint of dawn ahead.

  Her lungs seared by the time she reached a bridge leading out of the city. It was another three miles to the mines, over the train tracks and through the forest. Countless memories of going there to get illicit diamonds flashed through her thoughts. All those times, she’d never wanted to find Kohl there. Now she could only hope she found him before he destroyed the safe house and everyone in it.

  37

  Drawing in a deep breath and wiping the sweat off her forehead, Aina ran again. To the left, the cemetery loomed on a slope leading up to Amethyst Hill. The tombstones stood silent sentinel, the only peaceful place in the city, as she ran toward the cover of trees.

  She had to slow her pace through the forest to avoid getting snared by branches or tripping over roots. It gave her time to listen for some sign of Kohl, but she only heard the wind and the crickets out here. Her heart ached when she recalled walking through a similar forest toward Amethyst Hill with Teo at her side, and when she breathed in, she thought she caught his scent on the wind.

  Instead of thinking of what had happened on that ship, she reminded herself she was doing this for him, and everyone in the city who wouldn’t get a tombstone overlooking the fields and trees; those who would die under smoke and flame and be thrown in a mass grave. She was doing this for the people the Steels underestimated, making them fight for a chance and then punishing them for it, making them follow a path in life they’d never really wanted to; all the people like Teo, who’d only wanted a future in this city that claimed to worship progress, yet only for a chosen few.

  Finally, an hour after she’d left the dead bodies of Thunder on the bridge, she exited the fringe of the forest and looked out at the open pit of the Hirai Diamond Mine. The sky had lightened considerably while she was in the forest, heralding a new day. She sprinted across the land, keeping her eyes peeled for some sign of Kohl. Usually, the mines would be filling with workers who started at dawn, but the whole area had emptied this morning. Had the workers been caught in the chaos in the city and been unable to come, or had Kohl already killed them?

  A few minutes later, she entered the hidden safe house. The steady rumble of voices quieted to a hush when the door creaked open, but rose again when they saw it was her. Warm candlelight illuminated them, alive and safe for now: the Inosen along with Gevann, two tradehouses—the remaining three must have still been at the Tower—and there, huddled in a corner next to the back door, were Ryuu, Tannis, and Mariya. She searched the crowd for some sign of Raurie and Lill, her heart sinking when she saw them nowhere.

  Ryuu and Tannis both waved her over. But as Aina walked toward them, the bosses from the two tradehouses nodded at her. None of them showed any signs of disloyalty—but she couldn’t be sure. Kohl might have asked them to wait here and kill all of the Inosen when the time came. She couldn’t trust any of them, not the ones in the Tower and not the ones here. The thought made her heart clench, and though she’d been trying to avoid thinking of it, the image of Johana, Markus, and Kushik lying dead in the Dom flashed through her thoughts.

  She walked over to the two bosses, knowing she didn’t have much time—but she couldn’t risk them turning on her.

  “Take your people outside,” she said. “Defend the perimeter of the safe house in case anyone comes to attack.”

  They nodded and left without argument. Keeping them at a slight distance, but still close enough to call back if needed, was the only way she could think to test their loyalty now.

  As soon as they were out of sight, she turned and continued toward Ryuu, Tannis, and Mariya. “What’s the situation with the Diamond Guards in the Tower?” she asked Mariya, whose face was covered in scratch marks and grime. “Are they loyal enough to keep fighting while you’re not there, or has Bautix already won?”

  “I only kept my most loyal men inside the Tower,” Mariya answered, her voice hardening as she took in Aina. “Unlike yours. Bautix didn’t even need to pretend to have a negotiation with us. He sent his fighters through the secret entrances and then one of your men, that Arman Kraz, shot Eirhart and Diaso.”

  Letting out a sharp breath, Aina said, “He’s dead now. I’m sorry he turned on you, but we—”

  “Whose side are you on?” Mariya interrupted her. “I should have known better than to trust a criminal. What did Bautix promise you?”

  Aina let out a humorless laugh, then stepped toward Mariya. “I’m on the city’s side, not yours or Bautix’s.” When Mariya still looked poised to argue, Aina c
ut off her next words and said, “You’re here for a reason: You have nowhere else to go. So work with us.”

  After a moment, Mariya’s shoulders lost. “Your other tradehouses, and my Diamond Guards, helped me escape before that man could kill me too. So I do owe you thanks there. And then I saw your colleague”—she paused, nodding at Tannis—“in one of the back stairwells with the Kaiyanis they were smuggling out. We left through one of the secret entrances together and made our way here. I need to get back there as soon as I can, but I’ll need fighters with me.”

  Aina nodded, feeling a brief surge of relief that Mariya was willing to work with them—she only hoped that the Kaiyanis soldiers would arrive in time to help. Then, knowing she’d wasted too much time, she turned to Tannis and asked, “Were you able to get the Kaiyanis out of the Tower and to the ports?”

  “We did, and Mirran took them on the last train out of the city. Are the ports secure now? The soldiers still need to get here safely.” Then, biting her lip, she looked at Ryuu. “He told me what happened. I’m sorry about Teo, Aina.”

  Aina stiffened, trying to push away thoughts of her knife in Teo’s chest, her poison in his blood. If she thought any more of it, she would break down right here.

  “So then you know Kohl’s turned against us. He killed Markus, Kushik, and Johana, and Arman helped him take the Dom.”

  “He what?” Tannis asked, her voice shallow. They locked eyes and Aina could see all the emotions she’d had to hold back in front of Kohl.

  “And it’s my fault.” Tannis opened her mouth to deny it, but Aina said in a rush, “I trusted him, I went back to him, and this is what happened. He’s on his way to kill everyone here too, unless we leave right now.”